Animals

About the writerJoey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize winner, focuses on animal issues for the Alabama Media Group. He is also a community engagement specialist for AL.com. He can be reached at jkennedy@al.com.

But Pig, while maybe the most famous, wasn't the only attraction. A pair of pigmy goats, soon to be Hand in Paw therapy animals, also graced the festival, which drew several hundred people to the backyard of Avondale Brewing Company for music, food and, of course, ice cream galore.

The event benefited the Animal League of Birmingham, an organization that helps fund local rescues and animal welfare organizations. While this was the first ice cream festival, the Animal League plans to make it an annual event.

Teams competed in a homemade ice cream-making contest. And there were two categories in the ice cream-eating contest: Children and adult. Ryan Betts of Chelsea won in the children's category while Rob Livingston of Tuscaloosa won the adult category.

Saturday was the perfect day for an ice cream festival. It was plenty hot and without rain.